Pose For Me
by Annah555
Summary: Elena, a talented girl, needs to forget about her past life and start over. Meeting Damon, a mysterious blue-eyed stranger, might change everything she knew. AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**AN: **Hey guys (: I'm a newbie at this (since this is my first story written) so go easy on me! I truly hope you guys like it (:

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Elena Gilbert sighed as she pulled out her paints and easel. She didn't even know why she had signed up for this course. Oh wait, yes she did. It was all Caroline Forbes's fault. Elena sighed again as she was hit with a memory of an event from a few days before.

_"Come on Elena, you're really talented, and plus, you need a distraction to get over Matt! You've been depressed for almost half a year, and you really need to stop!" Caroline said, exasperated. _

_"Caroline, I don't know. I mean, first of all, I'm not THAT good at painting. Second of all, I am NOT depressed! I've moved on, you know." Elena said, giving her a knowing smile. _

_"Oh really?" Caroline retorted, "And who have you moved on to, may I ask?"_

_Elena pretended to be serious. "Oh, these two brothers. Their names are Nestle and Haagen-Dazs, and they are absolutely in love with me. 100 percent." She grinned._

_Caroline couldn't help but smile at that. She then shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're SO funny," she said in mock sarcasm, "But no, Elena, I really worry for you." She said, getting serious. Then, a small smile played across her lips. "So, what you're going to do is sign up for that course and get your mind off of things. And if you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me. Please?" Caroline put on her cutest puppy face._

_Elena rolled her eyes. "FINE. But only for you!"_

_Caroline jumped up and down while clapping happily. "Yay! Oh Elena, you have no idea how happy this makes me!"_

_Elena grinned. "Yeah, I know. But what are best friends for, anyways?"_

_Caroline grinned right back at her, and got up to hug her best friend. They embraced each other for a while until Elena croaked out "Caroline, I can't breathe," and the blonde promptly released her grip on the small brunette._

Elena groaned openly. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that she was actually there, she felt awkward and shy. Everyone else had already made friends with someone else in the class, and she felt like a complete loner. Maybe it wasn't a good idea at all. She nodded to herself. Yes, she would just gather her stuff and leave, and no one would notice.

Suddenly, just as she had convinced herself of leaving, the door to the classroom opened and in walked her professor. Great, she thought sarcastically, sighing for the umpteenth time. Elena sat back down on to her stool and waited for the professor to start talking.

"Hello class, my name is Mr. Saltzman, though you can call me either Mr. S, Saltzman, or just Alaric. I'm open for anything," he added with a grin. "So, I see all of you have your easels and paints out already. Good, good. Very good. So, does anyone know why you're here?" he asked, giving his class a smile.

A skinny girl with black hair and skin the colour of chocolate raised her hand. Alaric (as Elena felt the most comfortable calling him) pointed to the girl.

"To learn more about painting?" she tried.

Alaric laughed. "Well, yes, but we're also here to do something else. We're here to fall in love."

Elena gulped at this. This was exactly what she was trying to get away from. Maybe instead of being a good idea, taking the class had been a bad idea of epic proportions. She silently cursed Caroline in her mind. All she had to do was pack up her paints and-

Alaric interrupted her thoughts. "You," He called out, pointing to Elena, "What do you think we're here for?"

The whole class turned to look at her, expecting a proper response to the question. Surprised by the impromptu question, she didn't have time to think of a proper response, so she blurted out "To get away", before she could stop herself. She blushed a deep crimson shade as she realized what she'd just said.

Alaric smiled lightly and nodded. "You're absolutely right, Miss..."

"Gilbert. Elena Gilbert," she supplied.

"You're absolutely right, Ms. Gilbert," he tried again, and then turned to the class. "We're here to get away from our world. To get away from our world, our friends, our lives, and even to get out of our comfort zones," he said with a knowing smile to the class.

Elena started feeling uncomfortable. She didn't like stepping out of her comfort zone. She just came here to paint, and that was it! She liked her comfort zone right where it was, she thought with a grimace.

"So that's why today, even though it's the first day, I want you to start off with something that will open your mind a little. I've asked a former student of mine, Damon Salvatore, to come in and model for you guys. And don't worry, he doesn't bite." Alaric said as he chuckled at the thought.

Elena began to worry. This was all happening too fast. No, she wasn't ready to sketch anyone yet. He hadn't even taught them anything! She didn't want to step out of her comfort zone. And she did NOT want to find love! Oh, what she would do to Caroline once she saw her best friend again. She would chop her head off with an axe for ever suggesting she should join this stupid class. She would -

Elena's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the door opened once more, and a man in a robe walked into the classroom. Elena's stomach instantly started fluttering. This man was not just any man. He had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. And his jaw line - she wished she could reach out and trace its contours. He walked into the room with a smirk on his face, almost like he knew all the girls in the room wanted him. He walked up to Alaric and pulled him into a manly hug. Elena quickly composed herself as Alaric introduced the stranger.

"Well class, this is Damon Salvatore, who I told you would be posing for us today. Now, I should warn you that today we'll be doing full-body sketches. You all know what that means." He added with a wink. "So, " he said, turning to the handsome stranger, "Start whenever you're comfortable." He turned to the class, "And I have to go get something from my car, I'll be right back - I promise!" And with that, Alaric left the room.

Elena was still collecting her thoughts. What had Alaric said? Full-body sketches? What was that supposed to mean? Oh no. It couldn't. Alaric couldn't possibly do this on the first day there. He couldn't possibly think they were ready to -

Elena's train of thought was interrupted for the third time that day, when Damon stood up on a block at the front of the room, and let his robe fall to his feet.

Elena almost fainted. First she took in the sight of his muscular shoulders, which were perfectly shaped. Then, she moved her line of sight a little lower, as she took in his perfectly toned abs. She could cook a meal on those, they were so smoking. She kept going lower and felt her jaw drop even more. This man was..well, he was perfect. Everything about him was making her insides scream. She stared at him with lusty eyes, and felt herself grow even hotter.

Damon was used to this. Every semester, Alaric pulled the same stunt. Even when Alaric was his professor, he still pulled the full-body-sketch-and-disappearing act. He would introduce the class to the man, or woman, that was supposed to model naked for them, and then he would disappear "to get something out of his car". Damon knew that Alaric was actually going to get some food from McDonalds or some other fast-food restaurant, and maybe going home to take a quick nap. He also knew for a fact that the middle-aged teacher was not coming back until the last two minutes of the class.

He smirked as he stood up on the block and took off his robe, revealing himself to the newbies. He could bet they hadn't seen anyone like him before. He looked around the room in satisfaction as he saw all the girls in the room widen their eyes and look at him with lust-filled eyes. As he was scanning the class, he stopped on a girl at the very back. He thought she was cute. She had brown silky hair, and an amazing body, as far as he could tell. What struck him most about this girl, though, were her eyes. Her big, brown, doe eyes. The girl's eyes widened in trepidation as she realized she'd been caught ogling, and she quickly averted her eyes to her empty canvas.

Elena blushed furiously. Why was he looking at her like that? And why couldn't she stop looking at him? Well, it was obvious, she told herself. His body was flawless. As soon as she thought of that, she wanted to slap herself. Why was she so shallow?

"_Don't __judge __a __book __by __its __over, __Elena" __Matt __said, __"God, __you __can __be __so __shallow __sometimes."_

She winced as she recalled the words Matt had said to her when she had simply expressed her disdain for another girl taking all his time over his girlfriend.

_"You don't even know her. And you know what? Meredith doesn't judge others like you do. Actually, she doesn't even badmouth anyone, ever." Matt spat out._

Yeah, Elena thought. That was because Meredith never talked about anyone but herself, ever. And the blond bimbo didn't care for anyone but herself either. But Elena didn't care. She was over Matt now. Well, mostly.

Elena shook herself away from her past, and returned her attention back to the center of the classroom, where the beautiful naked stranger was standing. Okay, she thought. Taking a deep breath, she brought her pen to the canvas. She started to sketch his face from memory, too embarrassed to look up and be caught staring at his defined body again. Unfortunately, she kept messing up and ended throwing most of her work to a nearby trash bin. It was so frustrating! She would look at him once, she decided, and that was it. Elena quickly glanced at Damon, and planned to look away again, but Damon locked her into a gaze. Elena felt a shiver run down her body as his ocean blue eyes looked into her chocolate ones. They looked into her eyes for a few moments, before he smirked, ruining the moment, and Elena blushed again and hid behind her canvas once more.

She is definitely cute, he thought to himself. He liked the way she had held his stare for a second; most girls didn't. They were too afraid of his "intense look" as Katherine, his ex-girlfriend, used to call it. Well, she was a bitch, he thought as his face darkened at the thought of her. He shrugged off the memory and promptly returned to looking around the classroom. Everyone looked so preoccupied with sketching him that they didn't notice, or mind, him trying to read their expressions. There were a few girls just staring at his junk, while there was a guy in the back right corner practically dozing off on his canvas. Damon shook his head. Typical. He then returned his gaze to the cute girl in the back. Though, for some reason, he could only see the top of her head. It was like she was trying to hide from him or something. He mentally urged her to peak out from behind the canvas, and somehow, for some reason, she actually did.

Elena couldn't help herself. He was just so..well, she wasn't sure how to describe him, exactly. All she knew was that she had to look into his eyes again. She quickly assured herself that she was doing this for the sake of art, and looked up to meet his blue eyes again. The moment lasted longer than before - though their gaze broke suddenly as her eyes started going on a path of their own down his body. She flushed red when she realized she was blatantly at his trunk. Faster than the speed of light, she was safely ensconced behind her canvas yet again.

What could she start with, she asked herself. She decided to begin with drawing his face. His beautiful eyes, his flawless nose, and those lips that were so perfectly formed. She then drew his defined cheekbones that she wanted so badly to caress. She drew his messy hair, which she knew he had woken up with. It was kind of sexy, she thought. It made her want to run her hands through his head. Then, she drew his neck and his muscular, square shoulders that she so desperately wanted to put her hands on. She sucked in a breath as she glanced at his abs and upper arms for future reference - she just wanted to lick him. Just as she finished drawing his perfectly muscular upper arms and prepared to move lower, Alaric walked back in the classroom, with his hair a little messier than before. It looked like he had just woken up or something.

"Okay, folks, time to pack up. I hope you got those drawings done! They're to be on my desk in two days! Oh, and Damon, you can get dressed now." Alaric added with a friendly smile.

Damon bent and picked up the robe he had dropped at the beginning of class, and went to go sit down in Alaric's chair. It's not like the man needed it, Damon thought. Alaric _had_ just been napping.

Elena was not happy as she packed up her things. She was only half way done, and she couldn't even remember (most) of what his lower body looked like! She quickly rushed to Alaric, who was standing beside his chair, which seemed to be occupied by the prior model.

"Hi," Elena started, "Um, Alaric, I was wondering if I could get an extension on my sketch. I mean, I'm only half way done, and there's **a****lot** to keep in mind." Elena blushed at the realization of what she just said. Her eyes bulged out, and she corrected herself quickly.

"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that I didn't have enough time to finish sketching, that's all." Elena mentally reprimanded herself for speaking before thinking.

Alaric chuckled. "Well Elena, there will be no more time in class, but if you want to ask Damon to model for you tomorrow after class, go right ahead," he joked.

Elena nodded her head, taking him seriously. "Okay, thanks Alaric, I'll ask him then."

Alaric just chuckled and shook his head, and left out the door.

Elena turned towards the man in the chair awkwardly. "Hi. I'm Elena. Elena Gilbert," and she stuck her arm out.

Damon looked up at her and smirked. Elena was getting used to that annoying smirk already. "I'm Damon Salvatore. Nice to meet you, cutie." He said before surprising her and bringing her hand to his lips. A pleasant tingle spread all throughout her body as he kissed her knuckles.

Elena turned tomato red again before quickly retracting her hand. "So, I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow after class," She asked quickly.

Damon smirked. "Already want to go out on a date, beautiful? It's a little soon...I mean, we just got to know each other's names. But maybe I can make an exception for you," he smiled while doing this strange eye thing that made her tingle all over.

He was _such_ an ass. Though somehow it just made Elena more attracted to him. She turned even redder and shook her head, embarrassed. "No, you know what? It was a stupid idea. I'll just finish the sketch at home from memory, it's fine," she said with a forced smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Damon," Elena said with another forced smile and a nod, before she started for the door.

Damon's smirk fell. There was something about her that made him want to see her again, even if it was for a stupid sketch. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he called out her name.

"Elena, wait."

Elena turned around and gave him a questioning look. "Yeah?" she asked.

"I was just joking. See you tomorrow at 4:30? Here, when everyone else has gone?" he asked with a smile.

Elena gave him a rewarding smile back. "Sure," she said, "4:30 sounds perfect." She gave him another smile and a small wave, before exiting the building altogether. The smile never left her face.

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: so yeah, that was the first chapter, which I hope you liked (: and lol, free to tell me what I can do better/improve on. I would really appreciate it! (:

I also wanted to thank my friend Kaisa for helping me and proofreading this for me - I don't know what I would have done without her!

I have a good idea of where I want this story to go, so if you liked it, stay tuned! Thank you soo much for reading my story!

*hugs you tightly*


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Blue eyes. That's all Elena remembered when she woke up that day. Those hypnotic, deep ocean blue eyes. And the way they held her gaze... A pleasant shiver ran down her body.

She sluggishly threw off her covers and got out of bed, making her way over to the bathroom. She was planning on having a bubble bath, but then she remembered that she had to get to class in an hour and groaned. She was sick of having to wake up in the mornings. That's all she did before when she was in high school, and she had promised herself that when she graduated, she would never wake up before 8am again. Unless it was an emergency, of course. She narrowed her eyes at her bathroom clock; 10:30 it said. She had an hour before she had to leave her house.

Elena was just about to get into the shower when a she heard a familiar chime coming from the living room. She hastily threw on a robe and ran to find her cell phone.

"Hello?" She asked, a little out of breath.

"Woah, were are YOU running from?" a cheery voice came from the other line.

"Caroline." Elena said, surprised. "What are you doing up so early? You usually don't wake up until at least 12am!"

"Well, some things have changed, you know" Caroline said mysteriously.

"Huh. So what's the real reason?" Elena said, knowing her friend too well.

She heard a sigh on the other end. "Well, if you MUST know, let's just say...I met a boy. And don't worry, he is _completely_ different from Tyler. He's...sweet"

Elena could hear her smiling over the phone.

"Well, I'm glad you did, Care. It's about time, you know. I hated it when you guys fought. It's like when my parents fought. When they were still alive..."

"Oh, Elena." Caroline said sadly. "I know it's still hard. I wish I was face to face with you, because then I could give you a hug."

"It's okay Care." Elena said, trying to pull herself together and smile. She exhaled determinately. "It's been a year, and I've had time to get over everything."

"Yeah, I guess." Caroline said sadly and switched subjects. "So, I was calling to make sure you actually go to your art class today. By the way, did you like your first day?"

Elena groaned internally. "It was okay, I guess. It was just really unexpected, you know?"

"Well...not really." Caroline said honestly. "But it sounds like it was good for you. Meet any hot boys?" Elena's best friend asked.

"Oh, well look at the time!" Elena said suddenly. "Gotta go shower so I can get to class on time! Bye, Care! Love you!"

"But wait! You never answered me! Elena, don't you dare hang up without telling me about - "

Elena never got to hear the rest of Caroline's words. She quickly hung up and went back to go take a shower. She would call her cheery friend back later to tell her all about her blue eyed stranger.

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><p>The bus had left. She had run to the bus stop, only to see it leave without her. She cursed her luck and sat down at the stop, wondering what she would do next. Well, she could either walk there (which would take at least an hour) or she could wait for the next bus. Either way, she would be late for class. She cursed her luck again and started walking, thinking that she could get there faster if she speed walked.<p>

After about five minutes of speed walking, she noticed a taxi slowing down beside her. _Creepy_, she thought. _Very creepy._ She was momentarily relieved when the black window rolled down and she saw no one other than the raven haired mystery man from yesterday. As her relief passed, she was quickly filled with dread. What the hell was he doing? Weren't they supposed to meet **after** class?

"Well hello there, stranger." He called out. "Need a lift?" He asked doing this sexy thing with his eyes.

"Oh," Elena said, a little out of breath, and looked at her watch. This was going to be one awkward car ride if she said yes. But if she said no, she would be late for sure. "Uh," she said looking around, "you know what? Yeah, I actually could use the ride. Thanks." She said with a smile and opened the car door and quickly got in.

Damon moved over to make room for her and told their driver their new destination.

"Oh," Elena said, "You don't have to do that. The diver can just drop you off first. Really, I don't mind," she said with another smile.

"Oh, its fine. **I** don't mind. It's not like it matters if I'm late anyways." He said, looking away as he grimaced.

Elena saw his reaction and before she could stop herself, her curiosity got the best of her. "Where are you headed to?" She mentally cursed herself for wording it so bluntly.

Damon just looked at her for a couple of moments as a look of curiosity mixed with a trace of faint amusement played across his face. "Well, that's for me to know and for you to...hopefully never find out." He said as he smirked at her.

Just as she was going to reply to his odd answer, the car stopped.

"Miss, we have arrived." The driver said.

"Oh, thank you." Elena replied. "How much do I owe you?" she asked Damon.

"Nothing." He said with another one of his trademark smirks. "I'm sure you can pay me back another day _some_ way." He added as he winked at her suggestively.

Elena suddenly felt her cheeks heat up as she grew uncomfortable. "Okay, and that's my cue." She said as she opened the door and stepped out.

"I'll see you at five, Elena." She heard as she closed the door. Weren't they supposed to meet at four thirty? _Oh well_, she thought, _more time for me_. As she walked to the school doors, she heard the taxi speed away and she let out relieved breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding until now.

Damon let out a short laugh as he saw Elena practically sprint to the doors of the college. There was something about her, he thought as the car pulled away. Something that intrigued him. Something that made him want to get to know more about her. She was one of those girls that were shy and quiet to strangers, but when you got to know them they were fun and adventurous, he realized. He would have fun with her, he thought as he smirked at the thought.

"Sir, we have arrived," Michael called out.

Damon smiled at his driver. Michael **was **his driver, after all, even though he was a taxi driver. But Giuseppe wouldn't have it any other way - he wouldn't trust anyone but Michael driving his son anywhere. Damon's face darkened at the thought. His father was a powerful man. He was the owner of one of the biggest, if not the biggest, law firms in all of the country. Too bad his oldest son didn't want to join him. Damon hated his father, and hated his father's job. He would never want to run that company, no matter how much his father tried to bribe him. His younger brother, Stefan, was more easily bribed though. His brother was so naive. _Well of course he's naive_, Damon thought coldly, _with no mother to raise him, he was grown up on the bullshit that his father fed them_. He shook his head in disgust, thanked Michael, got out of the taxi, and looked up at the tall building in front of him. As if his father thought this would be his future. Damon would do anything to make sure he didn't end up here.

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><p>Elena rushed to the art room and noticed that everyone had set up already. She took a seat beside the chocolate-coloured skinned girl from yesterday. Just as she was setting out her easel, her brushes dropped to the floor. Elena cursed and bent down to pick them up, and the girl beside her bent down to help her.<p>

Once the girls had gathered all the brushes, they stood up and Elena thanked her.

"Oh, it was no problem," the girl said with a smile and then stuck out her hand. "I'm Bonnie. Bonnie Bennet."

"Elena Gilbert," Elena replied, shaking Bonnie's hand.

"So Elena, what brings you to this class?" Bonnie asked .

"Well actually my friend suggested I join this class," Elena told her truthfully. "Caroline said it would be 'good' for me." _Little did she know I would meet an incredibly sexy yet egotistical guy on the very first day_, Elena thought. "What about you?"

"I just love to paint," Bonnie said and shrugged. "I just it's just always been a passion of mine," she added with a smile.

"Yeah, it's always been a passion of mine too." Elena said with a returning smile.

"That's awesome!" Bonnie said "When did you start?"

"Oh, when my parents died.." Elena tailed off and started arranging her paints so she wouldn't have to look at her new friend.

"Oh my god, Elena. I'm so sorry." Bonnie put a caring hand on Elena's arm and gave her an understanding smile.

"It's okay," Elena said, giving her a sad smile. "After they passed away, it was a thing that I did to get away from the sadness, and I guess it kind of just stuck. I started dancing too. Dancing and painting just took the misery away, I guess." She said and shrugged.

Elena was surprised when her new friend got up from her stool and hugged her. It meant a lot to her and Elena felt that somehow, she had gained another good friend that she felt she could trust. She smiled and hugged the girl back.

Their hug was cut short when Alaric walked into the room just as the bell rang. The girls let go and went back to sitting at their stools.

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><p>The bell rang, signalling the end of the class. Bonnie stood up and packed up her things, and then waited for Elena to finish packing up their things so that they could leave together. Once Elena saw that Bonnie was waiting for her, she rushed to join her friend. Just as she had finished packing up, she remembered that she was supposed to meet Damon and mentally cursed herself for forgetting.<p>

"You know what, Bonnie? You can go ahead without me." Elena said with a smile.

"Oh, okay." Bonnie's face fell.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it that way!" Elena quickly said when she realized that her friend had taken what she had said the wrong way. "I just want to stay behind and finish painting. But if you want, we can hang out tomorrow! Maybe grab some coffee after class?" Elena said hopefully.

"Sure!" Bonnie's face brightened. "Tomorrow it is!" She smiled and left.

As soon as Bonnie left, Elena checked the time. She still had ten minutes until Damon came.

She took her time pulling out her easel from yesterday and arranging her paints. When she was done, she checked the time again. He was five minutes late. Elena felt a little annoyed. Now what was she supposed to do? She looked around the room and spotted a CD player. Well, it's not like she had anything better to do. She pulled out a CD that she had in her bag. The CD was one that she usually carried around from when she started dancing. She put the round disc into the machine and Latin music started blaring out. Elena was glad she had worn leggings today - she could move better in them than in her normal skinny jeans. She went to stand in the middle of the classroom and let herself feel the music. She started with simple cha-cha steps and then got into the more complicated Samba and Salsa steps. Even without a partner, it was exhilarating. She felt herself moving across the floor with such ease and grace, it was freeing. She let her hair down and started making her own moves to the intoxicating beat. She started twirling feeling more free than she had in a while. Her spell was broken, though, when she heard a laugh come from the entrance.

Damon stood there, leaning on the doorframe with amusement and a trace of lust in his eyes. "Me gusta." He said as he raised his eyebrow at her suggestively.

Elena right about died of embarrassment right there. She quickly moved to turn off the music, and returned to her easel and paints. Her cheeks were a flaming tomato red, and her heart was racing. As she looked at her watch, she refused to look up at him. "You're twenty minutes late, Damon."

"I got held up." He said, shrugging. It was enough of an explanation, he thought. Then, after a pause he said, "but you kept yourself entertained, I see." He said, smirking at her.

"OKAY. So, I guess we'll just start when you're ready then?" Elena said, desperate to change the direction in which this conversation seemed to be headed.

"Okay, fine, change the topic," she heard him say as he came up behind her. "But you were pretty good, if I may say so myself" he said as she felt his hot breath in her ear. Her whole body tingled at his proximity.

"Thanks." She said a little breathily and cleared her throat. "Ready?"

Damon laughed as he moved away and removed his clothes. "Yeah, I'm ready." He smirked as he went to go stand on the block in front of her, enjoying her flustered state. It made him want her. It made him want to-

_What am I thinking?_ he asked himself. He couldn't let himself think those thoughts while he was stand in front of her, naked. Least of all now. He tried to think of other non-arousing thoughts as she painted him.

Elena looked up and started giggling at his pained expression. When she started giggling, though, she found she couldn't stop. His expression was just so...priceless. He noticed she was laughing at him, and he got annoyed. No one - _especially _a girl he was naked in front of - laughed at him.

He huffed. "Well, I think this session's over." He said as he got off his block and made his way back to his clothes.

Elena calmed herself. "Oh, stop," she said, walking to him and putting a hand on his chest, halting him. "I was only laughing at you because of your expression. That's all." She said, looking up at him with her big brown doe eyes.

Curse those eyes, Damon thought as his expression softened. "Fine." He said as he looked away and walked back up on the block in front of Elena's easel. Elena looked amused as she walked back to her easel, and then grew serious as she studied her unfinished sketch. Damon couldn't help but smile as her studious expression. Suddenly, he was overcome with the feeling that he had to see her again. He didn't know what that meant, but before he could question it he looked at her and said: "It's your turn."

"Excuse me?" Elena asked him, clearly baffled.

"Well, I need someone to paint too, you know. And tomorrow, I'm painting you." He smirked at her.

No way. No way José was he painting her. Especially not naked. "Uhm, I don't think so, Salvatore." She told him.

"Well **I **do think so, Gilbert." He told her, matter-of-factly.

"And why is that?" She said absentmindedly while sketching him.

"Because **you** still owe me, in case it slipped your mind." Damon smirked.

Elena almost dropped her pen. Oh, right. How could she have forgotten? "Fine, but not tomorrow. I'm meeting a friend after class."

A _friend_? Damon thought. He wondered if it was a boy or a girl. "Okay, then how about in two days? Let's say.. 8 o'clock? Call me when you're done...whatever it is you'll be doing and I'll come by and pick you up."

"Fine. But only because I owe you one." Elena glared at him as he walked off his block, took her phone, and put his number in.

This is going to be _fun_, Damon smirked at he walked back onto his block.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> So, that was chapter 2 (: I hope you guys liked it! I'm also really sorry for making you guys wait - its just that I had so much to do and so little time! But with this long winter break I think I'll have another one done soon ;) I'd also like to thank everyone for leaving reviews! I really didn't expect so many and when i got them i litterally couldnt stop smiling for the whole day. Thank you so so much! It really motivated me to write more too!

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas!

*hugs you all*


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Wow, so, it's been 6 months. And i am so so so so so sorry that I couldn't update until now, but you can officially say that the hiatus for this story is _over_. And what better way to celebrate than with a new chapter? So, I hope that you guys like this chapter, and I hope that Chapter 4 won't take as long to upload as this one. Thank you to all that have stuck through these past 6 months.  
>And, without further ado, I give you CHAPTER 3!<strong>

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

_"Come on, Elena, you slow-poke." Jeremy Gilbert laughed as he ran past his sister. _

_Elena grumbled. They had been hiking for **three** hours straight. Couldn't they stop for a break? Her feet felt like lead and her back hurt from the heavy backpack. Why had she let her parents talk her into this again? Oh right. They thought their family could use some more "family time", Elena remembered with a grimace. _

_"Mom? Dad?" Elena called out to her parents in front, "could we stop for a couple of minutes? I'm dying back here."_

_"We're almost at the river, honey. Come on, just a few more minutes. You're doing great." Her mom shot her a proud smile. Miranda Gilbert was walking a few meters up ahead, her brown hair pulled up into a messy pony tail with a few hairs that had escaped her elastic. Her face was glowing with happiness and sweat. She waited for her daughter to catch up to her and wrapped a supporting arm around Elena._

_"This is amazing, Elena. I haven't felt like this in a very a long time. Thank you so much. You **and** your brother. This hiking trip is going to be great for us, you just wait and see." She gave her daughter a knowing smile._

_Elena tried to smile back. "Yeah, I know, Mom." _

_Miranda gave her daughter another squeeze and dragged the smaller brunette further. "Come on, lazy." _

_"You two still back there?" a familiar voice shouted to them. They heard footsteps and a man emerged from between the trees. Grayson Gilbert came bounding at them, not stopping for anything. He quickly tackled both women to the ground, and all three fell down in a heap, laughing. Jeremy came running and joined the dog pile, all four of them still caught in hysterics._

_After a while, they decided that it was time to finally get to the cabin. The four of them got up and started walking again, Jeremy and his father taking the lead. Elena smiled broadly. Maybe this wouldn't be that bad after all, she thought. She linked arms with her mother and they continued on their way. _

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><p>"Elena. ELENA! YO, SIS, WAKE UP!"<p>

Elena cracked open an eye to see a brown haired boy hovering very close to her face, ready to scream at her again.

"Ugh, what do you want, Jeremy? Can't you see I'm doing something very important?"

Jeremy scoffed. "Yeah, like what? Sleep is for the weak." He said as he winked. "Oh, and by the way, isn't your art class in 20 minutes?" Jeremy hopped off her bed and left her room.

Elena's eyes flew open and she hastily grabbed her alarm clock. Angry red numbers glared out at her, telling her that she did indeed only have twenty minutes to get ready. She jumped out of the warm haven that was her bed, and flew for the bathroom door. Why hadn't her alarm woken her up? Elena took a deep breath as she looked herself over in the mirror.

Today would be the day, she thought. Yesterday had been wonderful, after all. She and Bonnie had gotten coffee at the Grill and hadn't left until late in the evening. Elena had found out that Bonnie was not only an artist, but also liked to study medicine. She had initially wanted to go to medical school, but her father's death and her mother leaving her to live with her grandmother had caused her grades to dip below admittance levels. The two girls had just sat there for hours, doing nothing but talk and learn more about each other. Elena felt as if she had known the other girl forever, and by the end of the night, she had resolved that she would definitely have to introduce Bonnie to Caroline. They would be great friends, she had thought to herself.

In ten minutes, Elena was showered, dressed, and ready to head out.

"Hey Jer, can you call a cab for me, please? I really don't see how I'll ever make it to class on time, but at least if I go by cab, I won't be half as late as I would be if I took the bus."

"Sure thing, 'Lens."

"Jeremy Gilbert!" She chastised him. "I told you not to call me that! How'd you ever even go from calling me Lena to Lens! Jeez. You make me sound like I should be wearing glasses or something."

Jeremy laughed, "Well maybe you should." He said as he winked and ran away to call a cab before his sister stabbed him with her fork.

Elena laughed and shook her head. Her brother could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

Just then, Elena noticed her phone vibrating in her bag. She picked it up as it chimed again.

_8:00-don't forget;)_

_-D_

Elena imagined him standing in front of her saying this, with that annoying smirk of his. God, he was so... cocky. That was the right word, Elena thought to herself. She glared at the text, pretending like he could see her. Maybe she should ask him for a ride. _I mean, he'll probably be here faster than a taxi..and it wouldn't cost anything.._ Elena put down the phone. She picked it up again. Put it down. Picked it up. She breathed out in annoyance. She _did _ want to see him again.. In one quick movement, she dialled his number. Her thumb moved to hit the call button when she heard her brother.

"LENA! Your cab is here! Hurry up! You're going to be even more late than you already are!"

Elena sighed. Maybe another time. She quickly got her stuff, gave Jeremy a hug, and ran out the door.

"Where am I taking you, miss?"

Elena promptly told her driver where she needed to go, and ten minutes later they were at the college. She paid for her trip, got out as fast as she could, and ran to her classroom. She pushed the door open just as Alaric was starting off the class. Elena moved as swiftly through the body of people as she could, and sat down beside her new friend.

"Took you long enough. Why are you so late?" Bonnie asked with a smile.

"Oh, my stupid alarm clock didn't ring this morning and my brother decided to wake me up 20 minutes before class."

"Jeremy, right? He sounds...cute."

"BONNIE! That's my brother we're talking about there." Elena said, crinkling her nose.

"I was just kidding!" the brown-haired girl beside her said, giving her a friendly nudge.

Elena laughed. Oh god, if only Bonnie actually knew her brother. Then again, she thought, who knew? Maybe they would become good friends.

"Okay, guys. Today, we're going to learn a little more about the history of all this stuff. It all started off with..."

Elena zoned out of Alaric's lesson, letting her mind wander to her parents, Jeremy, Caroline and her mystery man, Bonnie and her family, and last of all, she let her mind wander to the blue eyed man with whom she was spending the afternoon with. Possibly naked.

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><p>Damon stared out of the window of his car. Why was he meeting with the man that he despised, again? Oh right, it was because the man in question wanted Damon to work for him. Just because Stefan could forget what he had done, didn't mean that Damon could too. No, he could never forget how his father had hurt his mother, and he wouldn't ever forgive him either.<p>

"Mr. Salvatore, we have arrived at the store." Francesco then looked sceptically at the building he had just pulled up to. "Are you sure this is the right building? If you don't mind me saying, it doesn't look like a very safe place."

"Yes, this is the right building. And I'm not a little boy anymore, Francesco. I can handle myself. But thanks for the concern." And with that, Damon got out of his car and stepped onto the pavement. He looked up at the building. It was a dark grey building, just like all the others. Though, to Damon it looked sinister. Just as he was about to go in, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Damon Salvatore there?"

"Yeah, this is Damon. Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Caroline Forbes. I'm, like, Elena's best friend. Seriously. I've known her for such a long time. I know _everything _ about her. And I gotta say, that's a lot of things. I mean, there is so much more to her than just looks, you know. She's really complicated and I swear, if you ever do -"

Damon grew impatient and cut her off.

"Excuse me, I don't even know who you are. Now, why are you calling me again?"

"Oh, right. Elena told me to call you and tell you that she won't be ready until eight-ish. Oh, and she also wanted to know what she's supposed to wear."

Damon rolled his eyes.

"And why couldn't Elena call and ask me herself?"

"Oh, 'cause she's at school and then she's going out with her new friend from her class, and last night she told me to tell you. Oh, but wait what is she supposed to -"

"Okay, thank you Caroline. I actually have some really important business to attend to right now so let Elena know that I got the message."

Damon hung up, exasperated. That girl sure knew how to talk. But he still didn't know why Elena just hadn't texted him. If she had time to tell this Forbes girl all these things, why not come to him directly? He shrugged the thought off, and opened the door to the building. As he stepped inside, he could tell that this would be the perfect place for his friend to set up. As he walked around, he heard the clicking of heels behind him.

"Damon Salvatore, is it?"

Damon groaned inwardly. Too many people were saying his name today.

"Yes, that's me." He said as he turned around to face a tall, lean woman with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Hi, I'm your dad's secretary, Laurel. Mr. Salvatore is actually waiting for you in his office."

Damon looked her up and down. She looked alright. Actually, she was kind of hot.

"Yeah," he said, flashing her one of his smirks. "Well thanks. Is my brother here yet? I wouldn't want to..interrupt my father when he's doing business."

"Actually, your brother is already here. He's with Mr. Salvatore in his office right now. They were just waiting on you."

Damon's smirk fell slightly. Of course his brother was here already. Why wouldn't he be? Stefan was clinging to his father like he was his life support or something. Why didn't he understand that he didn't need his father? Stefan could do this all on his own, if he really wanted to. He just needed the confidence to leave his pig of a father and make it on his own. One day, Damon thought. One day his brother would learn this. And that day, he would be there for him, just as he always was, encouraging him.

Damon nodded a thanks to Laurel and got in the elevator. The sooner he got out of this building, the better.

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><p>The blonde picked up Elena's favourite necklace. "Here, wear this one."<p>

Elena put on the necklace. What was she supposed to wear? Something that was easy to take off? A parka? How did he expect her to know what to wear? The brunette glanced around at what used to be her bedroom floor.

"Caroline, what am I supposed to wear?" Elena asked for what seemed like the thousandth time that night.

"I don't know..." Caroline shrugged and eyed the disaster all around her. "Uh, what about this skirt with this shirt?" She held out a white, mid-thigh high skirt with a fire-red, silky shirt.

"What am I? Going to a club or something? No, not that." She shook her head. "You know what? I'll just wear my normal skinny jeans and converse outfit and if he has a problem with that, he can deal with it. " With that, she threw all the clothes from her floor into her closet and started touching up her make-up.

Caroline gave her a scared look. "Are you alright?"

Elena gave her a smile. "Yes, Care, I'm fine. Now, do you want to help me with my hair or should I attempt at combing this mess myself?"

Caroline gave her a relived smile. "Of course I'll help you! After all, it's what I'm here for."

Half an hour later, Elena found herself sitting at her kitchen table alone, having said goodbye to Caroline. She was just about to call Bonnie to ask how she was when she heard her doorbell sound. She instantly felt her stomach flutter and she tried to calm it down as she walked to the front door.

"Elena." Damon smirked and then looked her up and down.

"Damon." Elena rolled her eyes at him and then gave him a smile.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go." Elena let him go a few paces ahead and then let out a short breath. She could do this. What was the big deal anyway? She grabbed her bag, locked the door behind her, and headed after Damon to his car.

"So, where is it that you're taking me?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out." Damon told her with a wink.

Elena groaned. "So you're not going to tell me where we're going?"

Damon looked at her pensively.

"Actually, you know what? You need to loosen up before we go to this place. First, we're going to a bar." Elena was about to tell him that he could just turn that car right around but Damon interjected.

"And you're not allowed to say no because in case you forgot, you still owe me. So you have to do whatever I ask you to do."

Elena groaned again and looked out her window. What had she gotten herself into? A whole night Damon Salvatore, that's what. She turned her face back to him and glared at the man beside her. He turned to her too and smirked his annoying smirk that he did when he knew he was getting what he wanted.

Soon, they pulled into the parking lot of the Mystic Grill and Damon thanked the driver, got out, and while Elena was getting her bag, came around and opened the door for her. Elena stuck her legs out and looked at him questioningly as she slowly got out.

"You're welcome." Damon grinned at her and closed the car door. He then walked to the door of the Grill and held the door open for her. Elena stopped in front of the open door and a playful smile flitted across her face.

"Wow. Aren't we feeling like a gentleman tonight?" she said, with a touch of sarcasm.

"Oh Elena, you should know I'm _always_ a gentleman. Though, I'm not _that _gentle." He added, with a wink.

Elena rolled her eyes and went straight to the bar and ordered a beer. Damon followed her and ordered a bourbon on the rocks.

"Quite classy, you are, miss Gilbert." Damon asked with a smile on his lips.

"Quite old, you are, mister Salvatore." Elena retorted.

One beer and two shots in, Elena was feeling buzzed, and felt like she could actually stand Damon a _lot_ more now. Damon was still on his second drink, but Elena could tell he was just as buzzed as she was.

"Okay Gilbert, I think we're ready to head out to our mystery destination now. But oh," he said, giving her outfit-de-jour a once over, "On second thought, we need to get you a new outfit. This won't do. Much too..cover-y."

With that, he hopped off his stool and started walking to the car, which was no doubt still in the parking lot. Elena's jaw dropped and she looked down at her clothes.

"They're not _that_ bad." she said to herself, and with a little pout, hopped off her bar stool and walked through the open door that Damon held for her once again.

One hour later, it felt like Elena and Damon had hit every store in town. Thankfully, they had managed to pick out an outfit Damon had liked, since Elena had no say in it at all. He had ended up choosing a short, tight, black skirt with a white shirt (that practically had _no_ back). Damon had also insisted he buy her a pair of seven inch red stilettos that, in Elena's opinion, made her look like a prostitute and possibly be the reason her back would break.

"Elena. You do not look like a prostitute. And your back won't break, don't worry. In fact, you look hot. So we're buying them, okay? And I honestly don't care what you say. You're going to need them, where we're going," he had told her.

Now they were back in the car going god knows where, and Elena was wearing her all-new outfit. Damon looked at her.

"You know, you really do look good."

Elena smiled at him.

"Thanks, Salvatore. You too."

The two felt the car come to a stop. "Mister Salvatore? We're here."

"Okay, close your eyes." Damon said, looking at Elena.

"What? No! It's bad enough I've had to wait all this time! I am not going to close my eyes."

"Elena. Close your eyes."

Elena sighed and closed her eyes. "Fine."

"Good." Damon said, and Elena swore she could hear the smirk that was most likely playing on his lips. She felt a hand on her arm guide her out of the car, and slowly they walked to their destination. Elena stumbled a few times because of the shoes, and soon enough she could hear the faint, but steady, pounding of a beat.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Elena asked, and she heard Damon laugh. They got closer and Elena could hear more of the song. "A club? Really? Why a club? What does this have to do with painting?"

"No, you can't open your eyes. And no, it's not _exactly_ a club. And you'll see, don't you worry."

Elena heard footsteps approaching them.

"Damon! You're here, finally! Star was saying something about losing her favorite underwear last night, and Rose said something about her bondage taking too long? You really need to fix this. Now."

"Mason, calm down. I'm here, okay? Tell Andie that that's her problem, not mine. It's not like I stole her favorite underwear. And tell Rose that she can go buy other ones. Jeez, do I have to do everything?"

"Yes, you do. You are co-owner. You practically run the place! I just provide the money. Oh, and who's this girl? She gonna work here too? And why are her eyes closed?"

"One question at a time, man. Her name's Elena, no, and because I told her to."

Elena grew tired of not knowing where they were. "Damon, I'm opening my eyes now. I have no clue what you and this guy are talking about, or where we are. And frankly, I want to know already." Elena didn't wait for an answer and opened her eyes to find a brown-haired man in front of her. He had green eyes and broad shoulders. He was kinda cute, actually. Then, she glanced at the building behind the man. Even though it was dark, she could still see the building and it's flashing lights above the doorway, and a big man in a suit underneath the sign.

"Is this a strip club?"

"Hi, I'm Mason." Mason stretched out a hand and gave Elena a friendly grin. Elena took his hand and shook it politely. She then looked up at Damon.

"A strip club?"

Elena felt Damon's hand on the small of her back, guiding her to the entrance of the building. The big man nodded at Damon and Mason, and let them inside.

"Ms. Gilbert, welcome to Savior's." Damon gave her a wink.

"But why a strip club?" Elena asked, confused.

"Well, you need to learn a few things. If I'm going to paint you, you have to be comfortable with taking off your clothes." He said with a smirk and guided her through the red velvet curtains.

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><p><strong>AN: So, I hope you guys enjoyed it. As you may have noticed, this fic IS rated M, and you will see why in upcoming chapters. ;)<br>Thank you all again for reading, and dont forget to review! They do mean a lot, and it makes me feel all fuzy inside when I read them. **

**ALSO- Many many thanks to Kaisa for Beta reading/proofreading this chapter for me! I don't know what I would have done without you!**


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